Thursday, November 3, 2011

Thankful For... Little Dott

Hi,

today, I'm taking part in a contest by Beth Revis (yes, that Beth Revis). She is giving away 19! books -- and I'm not only a bookworm (Independent to be precise) but also a book-pack-rat. I've got nearly 2000 books on long shelves in my attic, half of them are in English. I'd love to win those books.

For obvious reasons (I read my way through 3 libraries as a kid), it's hard to pick a favorite. There are so many I loved, and you probably won't have heard about half of them. But when I sat down to think about it, I realized it had to be "Die wunderbaren Fahrten und Abenteuer der kleinen Dott" by Tamara Ramsay.

In a magical night, willful Dott disobeys her parents and follows them for a dance around the bonfire. She leaves her younger siblings unattended although one is ill. When they show up at the fire looking for their parents and Dott, she wants to confess but everybody ignores her. She finds out that a magical flower fell into her shoes and made invisible to all she loves. As compensation, she understands the language of animals who tell her to look for the goddess (I forgot her name) who might be able to help. She makes many friends on the way (mostly animals), discovers ancient times (through dreams and/or time travel), visits many of the most beautiful cities and landscapes in Northern Germany, and learns a lot about animals and their way of life. When she finally returns home, she has changed from a self centered girl into a caring, open minded young woman.

I adore this book and re-read it on a regular basis. Not only does it depict some of my favorite spots in a part of Germany that's not half as well known abroad as Bavaria, it also teaches many things without being preachy about it. I love the way, Tamara Ramsay interweaves story, history, and science into a magical tale. I know how the book ends, I can see her friend the boy playing his violin happily after he broke his curse, but I still get lost in the pages and discover new things with every read. This is exactly the kind of book I want to write. Entertaining, emotional, and educational -- but never boring.

Do you have a favorite book like this? Why don't you participate in this contest too? No, don't I want to win all the books!!!

I was fascinated by the favorite book you shared on your blog, though. I would love to read it, but I don't speak or read German. Has it been translated into English? If so, what is the title? Good luck on winning the books!

I don't think it's been translated (unfortunately). But soon (early next year), you can buy my historical novel "Ann Angel's Freedom" as an eBook. It shows life in the 19th century in Northern Germany (no paranormal/fantasy element though). ;-)

I'm sure I read many books that no one else has ever heard of even German books. We got many books from our friends in the GDR that none of my classmates had. Some were wonderful (for example the retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" by Alexander Wolkow is even better than the original), others were weird but interesting, and others were plain propaganda (of the kind even a kid would notice and dislike). If you're ok with German, I highly recommend the little Dott.

Friends

About Me

Katharina Gerlach was born in Germany in 1968. She and her three
younger brothers grew up in the middle of a forest in the heart of the
Luneburgian Heather. After romping through the forest with imagination
as her guide, the tomboy learned to read and disappeared into magical
adventures, past times or eerie fairytale woods.

She didn’t stop at reading. During her training as a landscape
gardener, she wrote her first novel, a manuscript full of a beginner’s
mistakes. Fortunately, she found books on Creative Writing and soon her
stories improved. For a while, reality interfered with her writing but
after finishing a degree in forestry and a PhD in Science she returned
to her vocation. She likes to write Fantasy, Science Fiction and
Historical Novels for all age groups.

At present, she is writing at her next project in a small house near
Hildesheim, Germany, where she lives with her husband, three children
and a dog. Katharina Gerlach has had various short stories published in
Germany as well as a non-fiction e-book in US-Fantasy author Holly
Lisle’s “The 33 Worst Mistakes Writers Make About …” series.